1. Field
This invention relates generally to media, particularly to a system and method to overlay videos from multiple sources in a television set.
2. Related Arts
Television is often considered as a broadcast media, where the video content is controlled by television broadcasters. Broadcasters decide on what to show to consumers or viewers, and broadcasters dictate what consumers can see. Sometimes, when a broadcaster determines that multiple contents can be shown, the broadcaster combines the content into a single video signal and broadcasts the signal to the viewers. A viewer cannot choose one content over another, or a different combination of content. Let alone different viewers may prefer different choices of the combinations.
In one embodiment, John is watching a NFL football game on ESPN channel. During half time, ESPN decides to show the half time show with an overlay of a commentator summarizing the first half, and live interviews of several coaches and football players from other NFL teams. John is interested only in the half time show, but he cannot turn off the overlay videos. Jack is watching the same game. Jack, however, is interested in the interviews while watching the half time show. Unfortunately ESPN shows more videos of the summary than the interviews, even though the remaining interview video footage is available on ESPN's website. Jack is not happy about that.
In one embodiment, Tina watches every morning CNBC to check the financial and business news. Though Tina is definitely interested in the news, she thinks she can listen to them without watching the television. However, she is keen on the stock tickers on the screen. She wants the tickers to be more visible with larger letters and numbers. She does not have a choice as CNBC chooses the small text size for the tickers.
In one embodiment, a broadcaster does not want its video content to be shown together with video content from another broadcaster, opposite to consumers' desire. In one embodiment, John prefers to hear commentators from NBC Sports on the football game shown in ESPN channel. John wants to have an overlay video picture of NBC Sports anchorman to talk about the game while John watches the game telecasted by ESPN. In another embodiment, Tina wants to have two overlay pictures, one from CNN showing world news, and one from a local television station going over local weather and news, while she watches CNBC every morning.
In another embodiment, John watches a telecast football game in a local sports bar. The sports bar wants to put advertisements on the television set about their beverage and food menu. The bar wants also to advertise the weekly Friday night happy hour appetizer specials. Ideally the advertisements are displayed as overlay animations on the television set in the sports bar, similar to many typical overlay advertisements run by ESPN. The sports bar is interested only to advertise on the television sets in the bar, and is not willing to pay big money to purchase an advertisement slot with ESPN, which will show the televisions to millions of viewers who do not live near the bar or are not interested in sports bar.
In yet another embodiment, Jack purchases his television set from a local retail store at a discounted price. The television set connects to Internet. The retail store wants to use the television set to run promotion videos from the store's web site. The promotion videos are most effective when Jack watches sport games. For example, the retail store wants to run announcement of local sport events such as little league baseball games, sales of skiing equipment, profiles of athletics of a local high school. When Jack is watching a sports television program, the store wants to know the sports program and plays the corresponding promotion videos overlaying on top of the sports program on the television set.
The above embodiments illustrate a need to provide a method and a system to overlay a plurality of videos in a television set.